


Of Fate and Choice

by FuyuNoHana



Category: Aveyond
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2019-07-01 08:37:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15770505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuyuNoHana/pseuds/FuyuNoHana
Summary: Rhen is left with choices she didn't want to pick.Will she leave it all to fate?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Uncertainty Principle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5327249) by [Blurble](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blurble/pseuds/Blurble). 



> CHAPTER 1

Above the grassy hills of Aveyond,

While a soft breeze was calmly blowing,

In the temple of the sun where light was blindingly shining,

Decisions were made,

Thoughts not conveyed.

 

"I'd like to marry Dameon."

The purple haired swordsinger said, as she looked expectantly to the sun priest, her eyes wide and shining.

'I love him. I really do. Even Danny could not make me feel the same way he does.' Rhen thought it through. It was obviously the best choice.

She didn't want to be a hermit. She would probably miss her friends too much. She'd rather be dead, than live alone for the rest of her life.

Going back to Clearwater was clearly crossed out. Nothing was there that she wanted to hold on to. Her parents, or adoptive parents, had lied to her all this time, she had forgiven them though. But she no longer wanted the life she used to dream of. A life as a housewife... that's not anything the present Rhen wanted now.

Third option, and still not appealing to her at all, was being the queen of her real parents' kingdom. She had no intention of ruling anything, much less a kingdom. She was nothing but a girl who saved the world, how would that help in restoring a broken kingdom?

The only bright side in that though, is being with Dameon, who was presently smiling widely. No one knew though, what thoughts were currently running through his mind.

But... There's actually a fourth option, however she didn't know how, exactly, she felt about it.

The Oracle clapped her hands in a slow and gentle way. She approached the couple and said, "Congratulations to the new king and queen of Thais! You have my blessings."

Everyone clapped along the old woman enthusiastically, their faces however showed different kinds of emotions. None of them were truly happy for the two.

Tei'jal and Elini looked at each other, then stared at a certain green-haired boy.

Galahad and Captain John looked directly at the sun priest, who still kept his big smile.

Mad Marge clapped the loudest, but had an indifferent expression.

Lars clapped weakly, and had a strained smile on his face.

His head was full of questions, full of regrets, full of emotions. Wasn't he a choice? Even if he was only a best friend to her, why was he pushed to the sidelines? Why didn't she choose him? He should've asked for the answer. He should've told her everything. He should've been given a chance.

'But I never really DID stood a chance, huh? No matter what I do, it will still be Dameon who she will choose in the end.' He thought bitterly.

The clapping slowly went to a stop. Lars immediately went forward and hugged Rhen.

The swordsinger hugged him back. She knew what her choice meant. She knew that this would mean she would hardly see her friends anymore. But she won't regret it. She was sure she won't.

"I'm sorry Lars. It looks like I can't fulfill my end of the bet after all." Rhen told Lars as they broke away. Her head bowed down, unable to look at him in his eyes.

Her head whipped up in surprise, however, when she heard him laugh at her softly.

"Then that only means one thing." He said smiling at her. "I'm going to win and I have bragging rights over you."

Rhen laughed at his antics and stuck out her tongue. "Fine, I admit defeat this time. But do me a favor." She said seriously. "Please-"

"Abolish slavery for me." Lars cut her off. "I know. It has always been what you wanted. And who am I to say no to the queen of Thais?" He grinned cheekily.

"Thank you Lars." Rhen said with full honesty.

"Anything for my best friend." Lars replied. "Well then, I hogged you for too long, your fiancee is waiting." He said while shooing her away.

She only laughed in response and faced her other party members who came and congratulated her and Dameon.

After that, Elini and Tei'jal immediately went to Lars' side.

"Human, it is unfortunate that it is the sun priest that she chose. The summoner and I had always chose you for the girl. However, the girl appears to have other plans."

Elini nodded in approval. She suddenly smiled, and had a certain glint in her eyes. "But do not worry, northener. We are willing to help you gain her heart."

Elini showed him a bottle, half full of a special pink liquid.

The two women grinned at each other, a plan formulating in their heads.

Lars smiled at the two. He appreciated their concerns, and their slightly evil plans. But.

"I only see her as a friend. Even if I did see her as anything more, I don't deserve her. All I want is to stand by her, to keep being her closest ally. I won't be able to forgive myself if I did anything to hinder her happiness." Lars told the women.

"But we all see how much you care for the girl. It's impossible for it to be only friendship." Tei'jal said, slightly surprised that her intuition could be wrong.

"I agree. You love her, she does too. I have no idea why the two of you are pushing each other away." Elini crossed her arms, while Tei'jal nodded in approval.

"I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Don't you see that she loves Dameon?" Lars asked the two.

"T-that's just infatuation. Surely she'll leave him before the wedding." Elini said, not entirely sure herself.

"No matter what happens, I will support Rhen in whatever situation she'll be in. Whether today, or in the future." Lars said with resolve and left the two to their own musings.

The women stood still for a while, looked at each other, and shrugged.

"I still find it hard to believe that those two fail to realize how they are meant for each other." Tei'jal thought out loud as they both watched the boy walk out of the temple.

"They have spent years fighting, laughing and colliding with each other. Yet, they always seemed to find a way to numb their own thoughts and feelings." Elini added, as each of their party members moved to congratulate the new couple.

"I'm still team Larshen though." Tei'jal said.

"I am too. Except it's team Larhen." Elini countered.

They glared at each other for a bit, then laughed.

Elini then moved and stuck close to Captain John, who had started to tiptoe out of the room in an attempt to escape the Veldtian woman.

Likewise, Tei'jal encircled her arms around Galahad, preventing him from moving away.

The two women proceeded to congratulate the couple, with their men in tow.

With one same final thought before they said their goodbyes, Tei'jal and Elini looked at each other.

'Having a man by your side is still the best way to go.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2

It has been three months since they all separated, and it the wedding was only a day away.

Each of them had already received an invitation.

Captain John was assigned the job to pick everyone up, since he was the one who had the dragon. He had no choice in the matter, seeing that it was the queen of Thais herself who requested this, as a wedding gift she said.

And so, he picked them up one by one. He first picked up his wife. They got married against his will, he said, and he continues to escape her clutches to sail, or ride a dragon, across the seas. Elini does not allow this, and continually chases the pirate and captures him, every, single, time.

He was on the run the time Rhen went to him. He didn't know how she found him, but she also requested that he pick his wife up first. And so, he got reprimanded by the Veldtian woman once again.

They were now on their way to pick up Mad Marge. She was given the house in Sedona, much to her delight. The mad woman had already turned it into a famous pub. They had a hard time trying to convince her to come, but she ended up agreeing once she heard there were Thaisian drinks that were going to be served.

The three of them picked up the vampire couple next. They only found Tei'jal in the vampires' house.

"Do not worry about my husband. He is only in the woods, probably shouting more endearments for me. He is so sweet, no?" The vampire sparkled in delight.

"You call that sweet?! I shall tell you about the things men did for me back in the day!" Mad Marge cackled as she told her stories.

"That is nothing close to what my husbands did just to marry me." Elini pitched in.

Captain John sweatdropped at the women's antics and slowly went outside to find the knight.

True to the vampiress' word, Galahad was slicing and thrusting his sword on the trees around him, shouting 'Evil demon, monster!' and other words normal people would cringe hearing.

But alas, Captain John was no longer a normal person, remembering everything that they've been through before defeating Ahriman.

The pirate leaned on a tree, waiting for the knight to notice him.

It only took a moment before Galahad turned to him. The knight automatically asked how he fared and the men exchanged troubles about their wives.

After both parties' finished their conversations, they went to fetch their last member.

They flew to Veldarah, where the said member had become a teacher.

They found him teaching his last class for the day and decided to wait outside of the school.

After a while, they noticed a man with a patch of green hair walking towards them.

The men greeted him, locking his head in their arms and rubbing his head, to the sorcerer's annoyance. But he allowed them to do so for a while, since they haven't seen each other for three months.

After the men had their fun, the women, specifically Elini and Tei'jal, slipped their hands under Lars' arms and dragged him to the nearest private area, which was the back of the school.

"So, have you moved on yet?" Mad Marge immediately questioned the young sorcerer as the other women let him down.

"Me? Moved on? From who?" Lars asked, feigning innocence (according to the women's eyes, at least).

Elini stared at him, unamused.

"Sorcerer, it is not healthy to deny a fact that each of us, except for the sword singer, had known since we bought the house in Sedona."

"What fact? I know nothing of the sort!" Lars continued to evade their questions, much to the irritation of the vampiress.

"If you do not stop with that stupid denial, I will not hesitate to bite you neck." Tei'jal snarled, showing off her fangs.

Lars, gulping, put his hands up in surrender.

"I only like her as a friend! Why do all of you insist that I love her?!" Lars said, feeling helpless. After all, a vampiress is threatening you, who would dare go against that?

"You say you don't love her, do you?! Then why are you so overprotective of her all the time?!" Mad Marge hollered.

"She's my best friend! Of course I would be protective. But I am NOT overprotective." He said, crossing his arms.

"And I have no plan on going to the stupid wedding. I would only see a stupid Peta and a stupid baldy." Lars raised his chin in a royally pain in the ass way.

'She didn't even bother inviting me in person. I had no contact with her for three whole months. What kind of best friend does that?!' He thought while shaking his head mentally.

"You're not going to the wedding?! Then we shouldn't have wasted our time going here. I could have copie- tasted the Thaisian beverages by now!" Mad Marge catched herself and huffed as she glared at the young man.

"Well if you actually informed me that you were coming, I would have told you in advance!" Lars stomped his feet.

"Lars, you are not going?"

The young man turned to look at the Veldtian woman.

"If you would just agree, we already have a plan to make Rhen fall for you."

"I don't WANT Rhen to fall in love with me! Don't you see how much Dameon means to her?" Lars said, exasperated.

"On the otherhand, I'm just someone who treated her like she was less than the dirt on my feet for the months she'd been my s-slave!" Lars stuttered when he said that dreaded word.

Every time he says, thinks, or even hears that word, all the guilt and pain he locked within himself keeps bursting out.

He remembers every kick, slap, push he ever did to HER.

Her, who opened his eyes and introduced a bigger world that he could never have imagined. Her, who didn't let him down even when her own life was at stake. Her, who smiled so forgivingly, so gently, at HIM.

Him, who had abused her physically and mentally. Him, who would have saved himself at the slightest hint of his life being in danger. Him, who still couldn't forgive himself for everything he has ever done.

After a short moment of silence, he said once again, "I'm still not going to the wedding."

"You stupid little boy!" Elini suddenly burst out.

"Why can't you see that you have treated her better for the last two years of our journey! You know her better than anyone else! You have seen her at her best and at her worst! You've been with her for the longest time! And now, if you do not wish to break her heart at her wedding day, come with us, and show her your support as a friend, an ally, someone no longer her enemy." She told Lars.

Lars stared open-mouthed at the woman's outburst. He contemplated her words for a few moments then sighed.

'She's right. I don't even have a proper excuse for not going to the wedding. After everything I did to Rhen, this would be the least I could do.' He thought.

"Fine, I see your point. I'll..... go to the wedding."

And with their final member in tow, they flew on their dragon and went to the place once called the Blasted Lands.


	3. Chapter 3

It was finally the wedding day. Corsets were worn, stockings were lifted, various shiny things were picked and poked.

The soon-to-be wife was getting ready in her room. Endless numbers of maids were up and about, going inside the room to fix the girl's outfit, then going outside to look for something.

She insisted on dressing herself but the maids pretended to hear nothing. Rhen could only sit on the chair, face in an unconcealed frown.

After a few hours of dressing and poking, they were finally done and the maids went out of the room without excusing themselves.

'Those maids sure have great manners.' Rhen thought while rolling her eyes.

There was some time left before she had to go downstairs. So she dared herself to look in the mirror. A beautiful woman with slightly curled lilac hair stared right back at her.

Hair freely flowing, half pinned up with pearls and diamonds. Hanging from her ears and neck were dazzling gems commoners' rarely even see.

Face full of color, from the shiny silver on her eyelids which brought out amethyst eyes, lined with black kohl making the eyes look bigger. Lashes black and thick with whatever was put on it. Lips full and red like an apple fresh for picking.

Who was the girl in the mirror? This was a side of Rhen she hadn't seen before. She would never believe this was her if she didn't go through those painful hours of full transformation.

'Is this still even me? This face heavy with makeup doesn't look like me at all. A dress, more like a gown, with hundreds of layers I never dreamed of wearing. Why would anyone want to wear something as suffocating as this for a wedding?'

Rhen continued to stare at her other self through the mirror.

'I look like a sausage in this tight corset. I'm sure Lars would think the same.'

The young bride laughed to herself while thinking what Lars would say.

'He'll probably be like "What are you wearing? With your hair you look like an eggplant!"

Then he'd laugh, rolling all over the floor, like his words even made sense. I wonder what Lars is doing right now? Did he get the job at the school?

*Sigh* I miss my best friend.'

Knock knock.

The person on the other side of the door knocked Rhen out of her thoughts.

Thinking it was just another maid, she told them to come in.

She was pretending to get something from her jewelry box so she couldn't see who was at the door.

"Just a moment. I'm almost done. I'll be going down soon." She said.

"Rhen."

Her head whipped up as she heard the voice of a certain man.

She was surprised to see the man of the hour in her room, right now.

"Dameon! What are you doing here? You know that we shouldn't see each other before the ceremony." Rhen softly chided the priest. But then, she saw the worry, the sadness in his eyes.

He placed his hands on her face and cupped her cheeks, as if assuring something.

Rhen blushed and looked down in embarrassment. She really wasn't used to open affections.

Suddenly, he brought them down and sighed.

"What's wrong, Dameon?" This time, she caressed his cheek.

Dameon sighed again, holding her hand gently, but immediately took her hand away from his face.

She was slightly hurt by the action, but thought nothing of it.

"Rhen, I'm sorry." Dameon lowered his head, Rhen not being able to see his eyes.

"Sorry for what? For tricking us when you were controlled by Ahriman? I said I already forgave you for that." Rhen smiled at her fiance. There was no reason to keep resenting a once brainwashed man.

"Sorry for telling you I still love you." The priest raised his head, eyes slightly wet while looking at Rhen.

The young woman went still in shock.

"What?" Her voice in a whisper.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you until now but, after you saved me from Ahriman, I truly felt something for you. I don't know if it was love but now, I feel nothing. I'm still grateful, entirely so, to you. But, I'm no longer in love with you." The sun priest explained.

"When the oracle told you to choose, and you chose me, I was already having my doubts. The effect of Ahriman was not fully released then so I thought I still had feelings for you. But, just a week ago, I suddenly felt empty. Then, I knew." Dameon stared directly into Rhen's tear-filled eyes.

"I'm not the one for you. I'm truly sorry." And without hearing Rhen's response, Dameon went out of the door, never to be seen again.


	4. Chapter 4

It hurts.

Rhen wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw out everything she could put her hands on. But she didn't. So this is heartbreak, huh?

She felt empty, and cold. Then she felt a fire in her bones. Anger. She felt anger and disappointment.

'What should I do now? I won't have a wedding without a groom. And I certainly don't want to be queen now. I only accepted it because of that stupid bald-headed priest!'

"Who left right before your wedding." Rhen's mind whispered to her.

'Who cares about that man. And who cares about what the Oracle told me to do. I'm going to make my own destiny, my own future.

And with that thought, she tried getting out of the ridiculously large wedding dress. It was quite harder than she expected.

'I'm wasting time just taking this thing off! Should I just slash it?' She thought.

It would be such a waste, but she didn't really plan on having that huge a gown so... good riddance she guessed?

She hacked and slashed at it, effectively getting it off of her.

She changed into her sword singer outfit, which felt a lot better than the the gown, and grabbed her things.

She knew she couldn't go out the door, no, there would be too many people.

She felt a slight breeze and faced the window. Yes, that would do.

She looked out of the window.

'I'm three floors above the ground, but that won't do anything to me.'

And so, she jumped. As she rolled onto the grass, she felt alive once again. She grinned to herself, thinking of everything she can do.

'But not yet, not until I'm out of this country.' She stood up and ran as fast as she can, not minding the looks she received from the people waiting to see their queen's marriage.

They didn't recognize her. She felt bad for leaving the people, her people, but nothing felt better than being free.

'Just like when I was a slave. Now that I think of it, maybe I can fulfill my end of the bet.' She grinned, feeling her hair whip across her face.

She ran and she ran, until she reached the docks.

She slowed down to a complete stop as she saw possibly a hundred ships at the bay.

'This many people came to see my wedding?'

Guilt once again made itself known to her, as she thought of the many people who came to see her and Dameon's wedding.

'Who cares. Anyway, I'm not the one who left because I didn't feel anything.'

She tried asking some of the men who were still on their boats, but none of them wanted to sail away without finishing the wedding.

Exhausted, she went inside the dock's only store.

As she pretended to look at the wares, she thought,

'They surely know that I've escaped by now, and Dameon too. I feel bad for leaving, but Devin is there, he'll handle it, along with Talia I'm sure.'

She snickered to herself thinking of what will happen to the two. But she can't stay any longer, she needed to leave the country.

She opened her bag and tried looking for something she may be able to use.

'Yes! Who knew I still had travel runes! Fortunately, its for Veldarah.'

She shrugged.

'Oh well, lucky me, since I was planning on fulfilling that promise I made awhile back.'

She grinned to herself before walking out of the store and walking towards the forest.

'School of War and Magick, here I come.'

And she disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

'I'm boreeeeeed.....'

Lars was walking in the royal gardens while waiting for the ceremony to start.

'Not that I'll actually attend it. But why hasn't it started yet? I should hear the wedding bells by now.' He thought, looking by the bell tower.

Then he sighed.

'I know it's not right, but I wish they wouldn't get married at all. I would hardly see her if she did, and... I wish she'd just come back with me.' He thought with disdain.

His heart would beat faster when he thought of her, but he needed to shove those kind of thoughts down. He won't allow himself to fall for her. He still can't forgive himself for what he did to her.

'But... I still wish I heard her answer before she went with Dameon.'

He sighed, again. Nowadays, he noticed all he could do was sigh.

He remembered what happened right before they got to the sun temple.

Flashback

They were almost at the temple, they were tired, mentally and physically. But Lars, he was more than tired, he was exhausted.

He hadn't been able to spend some time with his best friend. She always stood next to Dameon.

'She probably thinks he might suddenly turn evil again. But he had always been evil. I wasn't even surprised he worked for Ahriman.' Lars thought, slightly snickering.

Their journey was done. They have defeated Ahriman, and Dameon will no longer stay anywhere near Rhen.

But that also means he couldn't stay close to Rhen either. So he had to ask her now, before they reach the oracle.

He took a deep breath and walked at Rhen's side, who was walking at Dameon's side.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear.

"Can I talk to you, Rhen? Just for a while."

And to his surprise, she nodded and didn't look back for Dameon's approval.

But he did. And saw the sun priest's heated glare.

He didn't have time to quarrel with the man, so he just took Rhen to the back of the group.

Thinking the distance was adequate, he asked her.

"Rhen, what are your plans after this?"

She was silent as she thought about it for a moment. And then she sighed.

"I'm not really sure. I don't think I have many choices, and I'm sure that everyone would want me to be queen. But I don't want to be queen! I want time for myself, time to be me."

Lars stopped walking and waited for her to notice. Almost immediately, she stopped and stared at him, confused.

"Rhen, I don't want you to be queen." He stated, making Rhen stand impossibly still.

"Would-,"he started, heart throbbing in nervousness, "Would you come with me? Back to Veldarah? I- we got a letter from Master Harald, he said we're welcome to come back to the school, and he's offering us spots as instructors. And-"

'I still want to stay together with you,' he didn't say.

"So what will you do? Do you want to come with me?" He asked.

There was a moment of silence. They were almost at the top, almost at the temple, and Lars wanted- no, he needed to hear her answer now.

"I- " Rhen started, but before she could continue,

"Rhen! Lars! What's taking you so long?!" Mad Marge interrupted.

"I- We need to go Lars." And Rhen left him there. She went up to Mad Marge, glanced back at him, and went inside the temple.

He stayed there, flabbergasted for a moment. Why did that mad barmaid have to come at such an important moment?!

"Lars! Lets go, boy!" The mad woman hollered.

He sighed. "Coming!"

End of Flashback

Simultaneous to his sigh in his memory, he sighed in real life, remembering his disappointment.

For weeks he remembered that moment, he ached for the answer he was not given.

He walked to the castle instead, waiting for the sound of the bells.

But instead of wedding bells, frantic footsteps and hushed whispers were all that you could hear in the whole castle.

Servants and maids were running all over the place searching for the bride and groom.

The guests were whispering to themselves about what could have happened.

One group in particular had different opinions on the present events.

According to Elini, "They could have eloped, not wanting the responsibilities of a royal family."

But Tei'jal said, 'The sun priest may have wanted to have Rhen for himself, away from everybody else.'

Mad Marge, however, told them, 'Maybe they just ain't together. The girl didn't wanna be queen anyways.'

The men did not add anything to the women's thoughts. They kept searching the castle the entire time, looking for the supposedly couple of the hour.

Meanwhile, Lars just got back from the gardens and went to the group.

After the women informed him about the recent events...

"What?! Rhen and Dameon are missing?! How could you just say that with a straight face?! How can we know that its wasn't Dameon who kidnapped Rhen? Its totally possible!"

Lars did not believe it.

'Rhen can't be missing. She wouldn't miss her own wedding! Something must have gone wrong.'

The other guests were already ushered out, back to their own lives. The only ones who stayed were Lars' group, Devin, Talia, and the druids.

"Where could they have gone? It isn't like them to leave their responsibilities behind. It's my son we're talking about, he will not run away without reason." Talia said.

They were all sitting around the court room table.

"I may not have known her for long, but Rhen is a responsible young woman. How can we know how to find them if the only clue we have is the remains of Rhen's wedding dress?" Devin said as he stood up from his chair.

"Calm down, Devin." Talia, who sat beside him, stood up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Just think for a moment. Before everything else, who will now rule Thais without Rhen?" She asked.

Devin sighed as he already knew what was going to happen.

"I'll rule Thais while Rhen is still missing. But if she comes back and wants the throne, I'll give it to her."

Elini immediately got tired of their conversation since they couldn't give a proper solution to the problem at hand.

She stood up from her chair and said, "Now that that's settled, how are we going to find Rhen?" She slammed her palms on the table for emphasis.

Lars kept quiet throughout the whole meeting. He listened to their suggestions yet... somehow he knew that they won't be able to find them, much less find her.

He was her best friend. But why... why does she still not trust him with things like this? Did she really consider him as her best friend?

"Well then," Talia suddenly said in a loud voice, shaking Lars off his thoughts, "now that that's settled, go to your respective places and try to find any information on their whereabouts." She said in a final tone.

As the druids and everyone else hurried to leave so they could start finding the missing couple, Lars stayed glued to his seat.

He contemplated whether he should go back to Veldarah now so he could continue to teach while looking for clues, or if he should borrow the dragon from Captain John, and borrow Captain John from Elini so he could cover as much ground as he possibly could in a few days. He was in a tight schedule since he couldn't ask for a leave from the school for long periods of time.

He didn't have to think twice. He knew he would always choose the latter option which ensured a higher percentage of finding Rhen.

So he stood up and ran outside so he could catch up to the pirate and the Veldtian woman. 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The characters are getting too OOC. I'm really sorry if they seem like different people. But even if they do, I will still continue this and try my best to finish it. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 6

Walking outside the castle of the empress, there was only one thing Rhen could think about.

That went well.

She had already talked to the empress, who held no grudge against her for leaving her own wedding.

The empress even gave her advice regarding marriages since she had already been wedded five times, to which no man stayed, even if she was the empress.

She allowed Rhen to stay at this continent, but wanted one thing in return.

"Grant me immunity against Thais. With you being the heir of that kingdom, it shouldn't be a problem to make Veldarah and Thais allies. It would certainly be beneficial to you, too."

Rhen thought about it for a second before responding, "Well as long as I'm here, Thais will not be able to touch you." She chuckled despite the empress' presence.

Everything after that were just simple conversations.

They talked of Rhen's journey, while the empress brought up some problems the empire has solved a few years back.

A particular topic was brought up while they were talking.

"Darzon, I'm not sure if you know but, no one, I mean *no one* knows what you and your party had done." The empress told her.

Rhen knew this. Of course she did, but she didn't really do the quest because of fame or fortune, she did it for herself.

No, she didn't do it for the sake of the world, though that should've been the main point. She did it to find herself, to explore what she could be. But in the end, she really didn't find it, it just made everything more confusing.

"Yes, I know, empress. But it doesn't matter. I came here to start anew, and that's what I am going to do."

They went back to the light-hearted topics.

She was really easy to get along with, Rhen thought while she laughed at something the empress had said.

As Rhen walked under the sun's fading light, she made her way to familiar oak wood doors and tall slabs of stone.

'I'm back here once again. To the place it all started.' She thought, reminiscing.

She didn't bother to knock at the front door since the school had a barrier up which Master Harald automatocally senses. She headed straight to the headmaster's office.

As she stood outside the door, she heard hushed whispers and unusual sounds from inside the room.

What was the headmaster doing in there?

Rhen was a naturally curious person, so she tried peeking at the small keyhole below the doorknob.

Before she could even see anything, the door opened, revealing a brown-haired middle-aged man, Master Harald.

Rhen immediately straightened herself after stumbling a bit, a small blush across her cheeks.

Behind the headmaster were different kinds of birds, mostly parrots, who kept making weird noises.

Two birds were whispering, one was giggling, the others kept hushing.

Weird, so that's what was making the noises. But since when did Master Harald like birds?

"Ms. Darzon, or should I say, Ms. Pendragon, good evening. What brings you here today? Especially on your wedding day?" Master Harald, as usual, was straight to the point.

"Good evening Master Harald, and please, its just Darzon sir. I came here to work as a teacher. If you will have me." Rhen was nervous. It was such a rare thing that she didn't know what to say.

Master Harald was silent.

Was she too forward? Was that even the right way to apply? Why is he so silent? Shouldn't he have said something by now? What if-

"I really wish I could employ you Ms. Darzon, however, classes have already started and all the teachers' slots are full. But I can guarantee you a job by next semester. If you will still be here." Master Harald suggested.

"Oh. Oh, I see." Rhen replied, feeling slightly dejected. "Thank you so much Master Harald. Yes please, I would certainly like to work here next semester. Thank you." She bowed.

'What am I going to do now? I don't know anyone here and I certainly can't go anywhere else.'

Then she thought maybe she can look for another job for the meantime. On the brightside, it would delay her meeting with Lars, which she is currently still nervous about.

'Yes! Thats a great idea! All things certainly work together for good!' Rhen smiled widely, already thinking of jobs she could apply for.

She walked towards the door. But it slammed open, narrowly missing Rhen who was a few inches away.

"Master Harald! I can't take it anymore! Those kids will be the death of me! I refuse to work for any longer with those beast-like children!" A middle-aged woman angrily stomped her way to Master Harald's office.

Her face was covered in something black, like soot, and her hair looked like it has been electrocuted. Rhen kept pursing her lips and biting the inside of her cheek just to not start rolling on the floor laughing.

"I'm sorry Ms. Griselda, but I cannot put you in any other slot. As you already know, we are all full. But-"

"THEN I QUIT!" Master Harald was cut off by the woman's loud resignation. She didn't wait for Master Harald to protest. She went straight to the front door of the academy and slammed it shut, loud enough that it echoed in the entire school.

Rhen flinched at the sound, looked at the headmaster, awkwardly laughed, and bowed her head.

"Well, Ms. Darzon," Master Harald suddenly said, breaking the silence. "Seems that we have an empty spot now. Do you want to take over her job?" He offered, his face still in its normal condition. He didn't seem to be affected at all with the current events.

However, Rhen was.

'What?' She thought, panicking a bit. 'I already mentally prepared my life for half the year! Why is fate pushing me towards the meeting with Lars?' She thought exasperatedly.

But if she didn't accept this job now, Lars would gain the upperhand towards their goal of reaching the High position first.

That would mean bragging rights. He would torment her for life! She can't allow him to be High Sorcerer first!

"Do you still want the job, Miss Darzon?" Master Harald asked. He was starting to get impatient.

"Of course! I mean, yes, thank you so much! I will not fail you headmaster!" Rhen kept bowing in gratitude.

"Good. Come to school at 9 AM tomorrow. I need to brief you on your job conditions before class starts at 9:30." He said, already turning away to resume the paperwork he seemed to be doing before Rhen came in.

Is that it? She's a teacher now? No contracts, signs or anything?

Rhen didn't ask Master Harald. He looked like he was going to drown in papers in he didn't finish his work now, so she decided to leave instead.

"Yes, headmaster. But I need to ask of you one small favor." Rhen said.

Master Harald did not look up from the papers but said, "I will not let anyone know that you are a Pendragon, much less the missing queen of Thais. If that is all, you can leave now."

Master Harald never fails to read her mind.

She bowed in gratitude, once again, and turned towards the door. She silently walked out, and headed towards the inn under the moonlit night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First update in months... Whew. I am really not satisfied with how this is going. Bear with me :'(

She breathed in the still warm evening air and proceeded to the inn. 

While walking, she looked around, seeing new shops, as well as familiar ones.

'That dress shop is new, but it looks familiar. I wonder why...'

Intrigued, she changed route and went inside the store.

"I'm sorry but we're about to close our shop, please come back tomorrow." A woman was stacking some clothes and fabric. 

Her back was against the door, so Rhen couldn't see her face. But she knew that voice.

It was the voice that helped her during her time as a slave. 

It was the voice of her only friend in this isle.

"Terlin? Is that you?" Rhen asked.

The woman stayed still for a moment, and slowly turned around.

"Rhen? Oh my. Rhen! Its you!" She ran to hug her, which Rhen happily responded to.

It was Terlin. The tailor back in Ghalarah.

"How are you? I haven't heard from you for 2 years! Do you know how worried I was?" Terlin said as she hugged the girl.

Rhen chuckled and removed herself from the bear hug.

"Its nice to see you too, Terlin. As you can see, I'm doing great. And you look like you haven't changed a bit. Why are you here? What about your shop in Ghalarah?" She asked.

"My business has been improving since then. I have two shops now, one here and one over there. My sister is the one managing the other shop." Terlin told her. "But what are you doing here?" She asked.

Rhen sighed. "Long story super short, I got a job in the School of War and Magick. Now I was going to the inn to get some sleep, but I saw this shop. And I saw you." She grinned.

"Wow! Congratulations Rhen! But why sleep at the inn? You haven't found an apartment?" Terlin asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I didn't have enough time to look for one earlier. I'll try looking for one tomorrow." Rhen said.

"Well, until you find one, do you want to stay at my place? I have a few extra rooms for now because my family went somewhere for a while. Well, according to them at least." Terlin offered.

"Is it really alright?" Rhen asked.

"Don't worry! Its fine, its no trouble at all. And we have a lot to talk about." Terlin giggled.

Her laughter was contagious, making Rhen giggle too.

"I'll repay all your kindness someday, Terlin. Just wait for my first paycheck. And I'll look for an apartment as soon as possible."

"There's no rush, Rhen. Besides, I'm sure when my family says a while, it will take about 3 months."

Rhen laughed with the woman. 

'Its been a while since I last laughed like this. I miss my friends.'

She unconsciously sighed.

"Whats wrong, Rhen? You don't look alright." Terlin said, worried.

"Its just- There's so many things going wrong in my life right now, and I'm not really sure if what I'm doing is right." Rhen sighed again.

"What happened to you these past two years?" Terlin asked.

"It all starte-" A loud crash suddenly echoed through the store, making Terlin scream and jump, while Rhen jumped to a defensive position, hand in the hilt of the sword.

It was only a cat who got inside the store, through the open door.

Terlin laughed awkwardly. "I think we should continue this story back in my house."

Rhen stood up straight, and nodded. "How can I help?" She asked.

"Oh, just get that pile of clothes and put it here. I'll take care of the rest." Terlin said.

Rhen complied and did it easily.

Once they were all done, Terlin closed up shop. Then, they headed to the mansion close to the pond, which was owned by Tiberius.

"Uhm, Terlin? Where is your house?" Rhen asked.

"Oh it's over here." And she took out her house key. She proceeded to Tiberius' mansion and opened the door.

"Terlin! Don't tell me you married Tiberius!" Rhen exclaimed.

"What? Of course I didn't! That crazy old coot. Tiberius was arrested by the empress upon knowing he cursed one of her citizens. It turns out that he also stole money from the people, the reason why he was the richest man here." Terlin explained. "And I'm still single." She said as she stuck her tongue out.

"But why are you living here?" Rhen was still confused.

"Oh, and I'm also the empress' personal tailor now, and she gave me this house. Nice, right?"

"What do you mean 'nice'? This is wonderful! I'm so happy for you." Rhen hugged her as soon as she was able to close the front door.

Terlin laughed at the young woman's antics.

"That's pretty much everything that happened to me these past two years, now tell me EVERYTHING that happened to you." Terlin said.

"Fine." Rhen sighed. "But can we sit down first? This will be a long story." 

"Go take a bath first, then. I'm willing to wait the whole~ night." Terlin dragged her to the bathroom and took some bath towels from the drawer.

"I'll be waiting in the living room. Don't take too long." And she closed the door with Rhen inside.

She hasn't changed at all.

Rhen giggled. She took off her clothes and went to the shower.

'This feels so right. No maids giving me a bath, and no wedding to worry about...

The wedding... I wonder where Dameon is now. I hope he finds happiness, something that'll make his life better for him.

I hope I do too, here in Veldarah. I'm not really sure if this is the right place, but everything has been going perfectly so far. Maybe this *is* the place for me.'

She finished her shower and got the towel.

'Veldarah... Lars will surely be here.' She realized.

'He asked me to go with him, before... before I left and decided to marry Dameon.'

She put on some clothes she found in her bag. She held on the doorknob but didn't go outside.

'If Mad Marge didn't interrupt us... What would I have said?

Why did I even go with Dameon? Yes, I loved him. It still hurts until now. I don't know how long it will take before I move on but... I hope it's soon.' She thought clutching her chest.

'But, if the oracle didn't give me any choices, I probably would have gone with Lars. If being with Dameon meant being queen, then it wouldn't be worth it if I didn't know before the wedding that he was such a jerk.

After all, Lars is still my best friend.'

She opened the door and went to the living room, starting the long  
night of explanations.


	8. Chapter 8

Fire from the lamp was still flickering in the dark. The sun was still down, but Rhen was wide awake.

The night before was uneventful. Full of stories, but uneventful.

Terlin was very understanding. She just listened throughout the entire thing and didn't react once.

After telling her what happened though, all she said was, "So let me get this straight. You defeated the strongest demon in the world, "She raised her hand before Rhen could interrupt, "with Lars no less, and other people you just met around the world."

"Yes, and I'm currently a runaway queen-to-be." Rhen admitted.

"Whose supposed to be husband left her before the ceremony." Terlin continued, to which Rhen just nodded.

"Alright Rhen, I believe you and I don't want to complicate things. I just want to say that I really, really think bald guys... priests, don't suit you, so good riddance to him. And if you think Lars is a changed man... boy... you know what I mean, then good for you." She said in a rush.

"Wow. Okay. I'm really confused but, Rhen, lets get some sleep. You're not leaving anytime soon, you still have lots of time to answer my many questions. Lets end this for the day. So... Good night." 

Terlin stood up and went to her room.

Rhen was left dumbfounded at her friend's antics. But it was late at night so she let it go and went to sleep, thinking tomorrow will be a new beginning.

Which brings us back to the current wide awake Rhen. She figured she wouldn't get anymore sleep today and decided to just ready herself for the day.

'Three hours of sleep, not bad for my first day of work.'

She stood up to stretch, then changed to a t-shirt and pants. She bought a sword yesterday, a wooden one, for classes since she didn't want to use the only sword of power she had left. She brought it along with her so she could practice some of the skills.

While she was changing, her eyes kept turning to the sword of power. Every time she sees it, all she could remember was her journey. And if she remembers her journey, well, she would remember Dameon.

Her heart would still clench in pain every single time. A day had already passed, yet, why didn't the pain lessen? Even just a little bit?

She shook her head and focused on something else.

'It's too early.' She thought. 'I have a lot of time left to prepare myself for the job. Maybe I should go jogging for a bit, I feel a little rusty for staying in the palace for three months.'

She tiptoed until she got outside of the house. A cold and gentle breeze whipped at her hair and at her clothes.

She breathed in and out, then started walking to the town center, then started jogging to the town gates, then started running in the Veldarah forest.

She welcomed the feel of the wind as she raced around the forest. She ran past the wild chickens, past the cave, past the bridge. 

She was running, running just like in the past. Running away from monsters, running away from chores, running away from slavery.

She slowed to a stop when she reached murky waters. 

She thought about the past. She thought about the gang and their adventures. She thought about her friends in Clearwater. She thought about Danny.

She thought about Lars, her best friend. She thought about his shortcomings. She thought about their silly quarrels. She thought about her time in slavery. But she also thought of their fun adventures, his silly jokes, his stupid hair, and his surprising kindness. The thought made her smile.

Then she remembered Dameon, again and again, the man who broke her heart on their wedding day. She shoved the pain that trickled into her heart down, down, down.

She turned around, back facing the marsh, and got hit face-first by the sun's rays.

The sun was starting to rise, and it seemed to comfort her. She closed her eyes to bathe in the early light.

Feeling a bit better, she was about to walk back to the town, but she heard a light rustling in the bushes. Someone was watching her.

She immediately lunged. Straight to the bushes, straight to a young silver-haired man.

The stranger blocked Rhen's attack with his own wooden sword.

"Who are you and why were you watching me?" She said as she pushed against his sword.

She tried to remain focused and removed the thought that an immensely handsome stranger was in front of her right now.

The stranger stared at her with unfazed cerulean eyes.

"What makes you think that I would be watching you? Who are you for me to do that?" He asked her in a monotone voice. "You were the one who suddenly attacked me just for being here." He said.

She immediately put down her sword in realization.

Rhen got embarrassed as she remembered that there were no longer any demons on the loose who will attack her when she was defenseless.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, staring at the ground. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Stupid reflexes! 

The stranger clicked his tongue. "What a wild woman." He said before turning away.

'What?! Wild woman? Did he mean *me*?!' 

"How dare you! I already apologized! What more could you possibly want?" Rhen said, slightly irritated.

"Then let me ask this." He stopped walking, but his back still faced towards her, "did you have to attack me?" He retorted, still with a monotone voice, then continued walking.

Rhen could only growl silently in reply as the stranger left her standing in embarrassment.

'The nerve of that guy! If I ever see him again, I will definitely beat him down!'

Rhen immediately decided that she really disliked the man.

She ran across the forest, going back to the city. She let wind carry her frustration as she screamed out.

She realized that it wasn't only frustration at the man that she was letting out. Little by little she was able to let out the stress that had build up inside of her along the years.

All the heavy burdens on her shoulders were suddenly lighter, especially now that she knew that she was no longer to be queen. And it made her ecstatic!

'Looks like there was one thing that made that encounter worth while.' She thought with a smile.

She stopped running when she got near the gates.

She walked back to Terlin's house and was about to slam its door but decided against it. She didn't want to impose too much on her friend's kindness.

"Rhen, you're back! I was wondering where you went but I already made breakfast!" Terlin popped out of the kitchen cheerily.

She smiled at her friend. 'At least she won't let me down.'

"I just came back from my run. And whatever you cooked smells so nice." Rhen said as her stomach grumbled in agreement.

"Its just some eggs and bacon, the normal stuff." She waved the conpliment away. "Come on, lets eat breakfast! Its your first day, you can't be late!" Terlin rushed her.

"Alright, Terlin. But let me bathe first. I feel so sweaty." Rhen giggled.

"Go do what you need to do. I also need to go to the empress today so hurry up." The tailor said, smiling.

~~~~~~~~~

Rhen relaxed a bit in the bathtub after her shower.

She stared at the wooden sword against the bathroom wall as she sinked a little deeper in the waters.

Now that her head was a little clearer, she suddenly realized something.

'That man was able to block my attack. He also brought along a sword with him, albeit a wooden one, but still a sword.'

She was a bit depressed to think that someone could counter her moves that were polished in their journey.

'I'm probably just getting rusty. Maybe a day at work can bring back the old me.'

She stood up from the tub and put on her clothes. She walked out the bathroom door and went to find Terlin.

~~~~~~~~~~

She ate breakfast with Terlin and chatted for a bit. 

When they both noticed it was almost 9 o'clock, they went on to their own workplace.

"Good luck on your first day of work Rhen! Hope the kids won't bother you much. You're probably just a few years older than them." Terlin told her.

"If I could handle monsters and demons, I could probably handle kids for a few hours." Rhen said, to which they both laughed.

After they said their goodbyes and parted ways, Rhen was faced, once again, by the familiar wooden doors of the school.

Rhen breathed in, and exhaled.

'This is it, my first day at work. You can do this Rhen.'

Head held high, she pushed the doors open and went to Master Harald's office.

She knocked on the door, and heard a faint 'come in.' 

Once she got in, she noticed the birds were no longer in the room, to her surprise.

Where did all the birds go? 

"You're on time, good." Master Harald said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Ms. Darzon, I failed to inform you of your schedule yesterday. I'll get straight to the point." Master Harald said in one breath.

"You will be homeroom teacher and swordsinging teacher for one class only." He informed her.

'What?' 

"But-" Rhen started.

"Before you react," He interrupted her before she was able to speak, "I am not underestimating your knowledge or skills. You will be teaching the elite class, therefore they are to be your priority." He informed her.

"What do you mean 'elite class?'" Rhen asked, to Master Harald's annoyance.

"Forgive me for interrupting, sir, but there was no such class when I studied here." Rhen continued.

"The elite class has only ten students. Those ten have been chosen for their extraordinary skill and potential in swordsinging and every other subject." He explained. 

"They continuously receive top marks in their monthly exams. Because of this, you are scheduled to teach them everything you know about swordsinging on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays." He informed her.

"And, we came up with the class because of you, Ms. Darzon, and Professor Tenobor." Master Harald said.

"What? Me and Lars? Why?" Rhen asked, confused. 'Professor Tenobor.' She marked in her mind.

"The two of you are the best   
students this school has ever produced. And we thought, with your and Professor Tenobor's teachings, the school's students would become better every year." He continued.

"I see. Is that why you sent us invitations a few months ago?" She asked after a moment of silence. 

To which Master Harald answered with a curt "Yes."

"When can I see the students, then?" Rhen questioned.

"We're only waiting for Mr. Boreas to arrive so he can help you for the day." He said.

"Who's Mr. Boreas?" She asked, confused.

"He's a teacher we hired a year ago. He's an incredibly skilled swordsinger. You'll know when you see him in action." Master Harald told her.

"So is there an elite class for sorcerers too?" She asked.

"Of course." He said in a matter-of-factly way.

Rhen then wondered if Lars taught the sorcerers elite class.

'He probably is, Master Harald did say that the class was made   
because of us.' She thought.

She was about to ask Master Harald about Lars but his office doors suddenly swung open.

"You needed me, Master Harald?" Asked an awfully familiar monotone voice.

Rhen turned to the speaker.

"You!" She pointed at him with eyes large in surprise.

The silver-haired stranger only glanced at her for a second, before directing his attention to Master Harald once again.

"You seem to know Mr. Boreas, Ms Darzon." Master Harald said, his tone slightly interested.

"I do not know this man, Master Harald." Rhen shook her head furiously.

"I agree. I have never seen this girl before." The stranger, Mr. Boreas, affirmed.

"What do you mean, 'have never seen this girl before?'" Rhen asked, feeling irritated at the man's attitude.

This guy was really getting on her nerves! First he waves away her apology, now he's acting as if what happened earlier never occurred!

Mr. Boreas only said, "I only followed your lead," making Rhen get even more irritated.

"I'm asking politely! Is it that hard to give a normal answer?" She asked.

"Looks like you two already know each other. Good, less talk needed." Master Harald interrupted them, mostly Rhen.

"Since you've probably met before, I'll introduce you two for formality reasons. Ms. Darzon, this is Mr. Zion Boreas. He is a strong fighter, and quite skilled in swordsinging. He will be your guide in the elite class." He introduced.

Zion only nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Mr. Boreas, this is Ms. Rhen Darzon. I suggest you not cross her, for your safety and well-being." Master Harald continued, making Rhen smile teasingly.

"Now that the two of you are acquainted, I trust Mr. Boreas will guide you through the schedule Ms. Darzon." Master Harald said.

"First class will be basic survival swordsinging, now off you go. You have a class to teach." He said, while facing his back against them, leaving them glaring at each other.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!

The two swordsingers walked together in silence.

'He didn't say one thing to me since we left Master Harald's office. Am I that detestable?' Rhen thought while glaring at Zion's back.

'And where is the room?! We've been walking for quite a while now!' 

'Why did the school have to change so much in two years?' She thought with a frown.

Zion suddenly turned to the left corner.

He immediately opened the door to the first room to the left and entered, leaving her outside.

Rhen rolled her eyes. This was probably the classroom.

She paid no attention to the man and turned to look at the other rooms, then the hallway. She could see some students running to their own classes. 

She remembered when she was also one of those who were always running late. She never seemed to wake up early, resulting in a lot of tardies.

She chuckled at herself. She was so carefree and wild before everything else happened.

But she was actually a bit thankful to Ahriman. If it wasn't for him, she would still be an ignorant child, wishing to be a baker's wife. Not that that's bad though.

"-Rhen Darzon." She broke out of her thoughts when she heard her name being called inside the classroom.

She figured it was her cue to step in, so she did. 

She wasn't surprised to see quiet students when she walked in. Whenever students had someone new in their room, they automatically pay attention. She knew this from experience.

"As I've said earlier, since Ms. Griselda has unfortunately left last night, we have Ms. Rhen Darzon, your new teacher." Zion introduced.

"So far, we've had four teachers who have left us in under two months. Let us hope Ms. Darzon will stay for good since we are now running low on swordsinger teachers." He said. Some of the students where snickering secretly as he did.

"Now that that's done, let's start our lesson." He took out his sword from its scabbard and proceeded to instruct the students on how to make a fire using a sword.

~~~~~~~~~

In a span of approximately two hours, thirty minutes and twenty nine seconds, Rhen stayed standing at the side of the classroom's platform. The whole time. With no speaking. Or moving. At all.

If it was possible, Rhen would probably be fuming in anger right now. 'He acted as if I wasn't there at all! Wasn't I supposed to be their teacher? Then why did he completely disregard me?!' 

Even the students openly ignored her. They didn't look at her once since she was introduced.

'So it was this kind of treatment that made Ms. Griselda leave her job?' She thought with disdain.

"-and that is how you strike down a zombie. With a flaming sword." He said as the bell sounded, signaling the end of the class.

"I'll be seeing you all again tomorrow. Good day." 

"Good day, sir." The students replied as he walked out of the room.

Good riddance, Rhen thought.

The students immediately packed their bags, and dashed outside to get to the cafeteria.

None of them bothered to stay for a while, even if its to get to know their new teacher.

'Those kids sure have nice personalities.' Rhen thought sarcastically.

She was about to leave the room when she noticed one boy still in his seat.

He was eating a piece of bread while reading a book.

'Why didn't he go to the cafeteria with his friends?' She wondered.

"Hi." Rhen said as she approached the brown-haired boy.

He looked at her with his brown eyes for a few seconds before looking back at his book.

Rhen opened her mouth to say something but the boy replied, "Hello."

She smiled at the kid. 'Looks like this one at least has manners.'

"Why are you still here? Won't your friends wonder where you're at?" Rhen asked.

"No one would notice even if I went or not." He said, still reading the book.

"Why not? They're your friends aren't they?"

"I don't have friends." He bluntly replied.

"And please don't talk to me, nobles like you shouldn't even go near a slave like me." The boy closed his book and stood up. He packed his bag and started walking towards the door.

"I'm not a noble." Rhen suddenly said when he was about to go out.

"I was a slave too." She continued, making the boy stop and look at her.

"You?" The boy asked. His face was crunched up in confusion.

Rhen giggled. "Yes, me. Is that hard to believe?" She said as she sat down on the chair beside the boy's.

"Nobles are a pain in the butt." She said without reservation, making the boy laugh a bit.

Liking his reaction, she continued. "Nobles only know how to boss you around and never actually do any work!"

The boy nodded in agreement. "And they just keep on bullying you for no reason at all." He said and sulked.

"It's hard being a slave." Rhen told the boy. 

"But did you know? I've learned that nobles are still people. They make mistakes, but they also learn. You just have to show them how small the world they know really is." Rhen said this while her mind kept focusing on a certain someone.

"What?" The boy asked, quizzical. "Impossible. Nobles have fun tormenting people, slaves! They won't change even if it was a life or death matter!" He almost shouted.

"How about we make a bet?" Rhen proposed. "If by the end of this school year you get to know one noble and still think they're a hopeless cause, then I'll give you any one thing you want."

"Anything?" His eyes sparkled in delight. But then it suddenly dulled. "What could you possibly give me? You're just a teacher, a new one, in fact."

"You'd be surprised if I told you the truth." Rhen smiled smugly. "Just believe me when I say this, alright?"

She stretched her hand towards him, who had already walked close to her some time in their chat.

"So do we have deal?" She asked.

"... deal." He said as he shook her hand.

Rhen smiled. "Good."

It was her turn to walk away, and she headed towards the door. 

"Ah! What's your name?" She asked as she faced him.

"Rain Artesia." He answered, staring at his new teacher with wonder.

"Well you probably already know who I am but, I'm Rhen Darzon. Enjoy the rest of your lunch!" She said, waving goodbye to the brown-haired, brown-eyed boy as she left.

~~~~~~~

'This feels so nice.' Rhen thought as she slouched on the table.

She was somewhere outside the school's buildings, in what seems like an old gazebo. It was covered in dust and dirt, and vines had already climbed it's posts, but Rhen slightly cleaned it up so it was usable.

Rhen figured that she was at the edge of the school's property.

There were tall walls behind the gazebo, which were also covered in vines. But beside it, were beautiful flowers of different colors, and there was also a small pond, which was surprisingly clean and clear.

The place was so beautiful that Rhen decided that this will be her sanctuary.

She had already eaten her lunch earlier (three, or maybe four? No, five sandwiches, but she couldn't really remember since they were all in her stomach now anyway).

She was supposed to eat them in the teachers' office, which was right next to Master Harald's office, but she saw many, many female students standing in front of the door.

She didn't know why they were there but she didn't mind them since they only kept squealing, probably from seeing something pleasant. She stepped a few steps backward, and walked away.

Then she somehow came across a narrow passageway, which immediately piqued her interest. It had a few cobwebs on the ceiling, but with Rhen being an adventurous spirit, she shoved through while protecting her food.

At the end of the passageway was a glass door, which was unlocked, so Rhen walked out of it.

There was a mini path, and when there's a path, Rhen will follow.

That was how she was able to arrive here, in this relaxing and peaceful gazebo.

But it was times like these that made her notice her aching heart.

Without anything to do, her heart and mind would always team up together and make her remember one specific person.

Dameon.

Why did he have to leave? Couldn't he just learn to love her again? Rhen's mind were swirling with these questions, but the answers were always too hard to catch.

Rhen sighed. She looked up at the sun and saw it was past the middle. Her eyes widened in realization. She was about to be late for work!

She rushed to clean up her mess and ran back inside the building.

'Oh no, oh no, oh no,' Rhen thought as she ran.

Good thing the female students earlier were no longer there, the hallway was clear.

She ran without slowing down, and as she was turning to the left corner, she bumped her shoulder on the wall.

Wincing in pain, she clutched it while continuing to run. 

The bell rang, signalling the start of class, right after she reached the classroom door.

'Made it.' Rhen thought, shoulder still throbbing in pain. She decided to look at it, but didn't see anything different.

'I hope this doesn't bruise. Why am I so clumsy?' She thought eexasperatedly. 'Never mind, no one would notice this anyways.'

She pushed the door open and yelled "Good morning" as she walked inside.

The students were still standing and chatting with each other. Nobody seemed to notice her.

Rhen walked to the platform and stood at it's center. She noticed Rain, the boy from earlier, properly at his seat at the corner of the room and looking at her.

She smiled at him, then proceeded to take her wooden sword from its scabbard.

'This kids are arrogant. They need to know how the real world works.' Rhen thought.

She held her sword in both hands, but her left shoulder suddenly throbbed.

She winced slightly, but didn't mind it. She was used to pain, even more than this.

It's a sad thing but, most swordsingers only reach until level 30. Some of the stronger ones reach to more than 40, but never reach 50.

Rhen, however, was already at max level 99, and has already memorized all the spells from the swords of power. Even without them, she could perform it with an ordinary metal sword. 

This was how strong she was, and these kids need to learn their place.

Rhen inhaled, then started to hum a song. 

"I catch air from the north,  
I throw wind to the south.  
Forming what's scattered,  
Windwatcher's Song." 

Rhen started to sing in a whisper. Notes out of thin air suddenly appeared from her sword. 

The notes burst into a gush of wind, making papers fly all over the place. All the students held their hands up to shield their faces.

After the wind died down, they all wore shocked faces. 'How did she do that with a wooden sword?' They thought. They then glared at their teacher.

"What did you do that for?!" A boy, maroon-haired, shouted.

"Yeah! It was as if you were attacking us!" Another added.

Rhen only grinned wickedly at them. "I did it to get your attention. Effective isn't it?" She said, still grinning.

The students stared at her incredulously. All their thoughts in sync, 'What is wrong with this teacher?' 

"Now, we can properly start class." Rhen said, putting her sword back in its scabbard.

"But before that, I want to get to know you guys better. So let's make today introduction day."

"We already know each other, Miss... whoever you are. We don't need you here." A blonde-haired girl stood up, looking down on her teacher.

"Oh, you don't?" Rhen fake-sulked. "Then tell me what skill I used just now." She said to the girl.

"W-what? Of c-course I know that skill!" The girl stuttered.

"Then what is it?" Rhen pushed.

"Ugh! What else? It's Woodland Dance!" 

Rhen smiled solemnly at the girl. On the otherhand, the girl smiled in victory as her classmates clapped and awed at her.

"Wrong!" Rhen suddenly yelled, making them all stop.

"H-how could that be wrong?!" The girl retaliated.

Rhen ignored her, and instead asked everyone in the room. "Do any of you know what skill I used?"

A familiar brown-haired boy raised his hand. 

She smiled at him and called, "You, the one the back. What is it called?"

Rain stood up and answered, "It's Windwatcher's Song."

"Good. At least one student looks like he knows what he's doing." Rhen said as she saw the girl from earlier fume in anger.

"Is this not enough proof that you need me as a teacher?" She asked them.

No one answered.

"Introduction day it is then." Rhen smiled, gently this time.


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay. Let's properly start lessons on Friday. Nice meeting you all. Class dismissed."

The students took their bags and one by one walked out of the door. The room was quiet. None of them spoke as they left.

Rain looked at Rhen for a bit, before also heading out the door.

The last one to leave was the blonde haired girl, Yvonne Eucharis. She bumped into Rhen's left shoulder as she walked by her and said, "Don't think that you're welcome in this class just because of what happened today."

Once she left the room, Rhen clutched her throbbing shoulder. 'This still hurts.' She thought as she remembered that she bumped into the wall rather hardly earlier.

She was the only one left in the room, so she walked towards a chair and slumped on it.

She sighed and thought, 'Day 1 is done.'

But how many days did she have left until her encounter with Lars?

She sighed once again.

She hadn't seen Lars yesterday or today, so he was probably in Thais, for her wedding day. Which did not end well. And did not even start.

She didn't know what she would say, or what she would do, once she sees him. 

And if he asks what happened... let's just say that her thoughts were still very much confused on the matter.

Rhen stood up. She shouldn't think too much on it. She'd just wing it when the time comes.

She can't go back home yet. It was 3pm, and teachers are to go home at 4, for reasons Rhen did not know.

She decided to get to know her fellow teachers for now, so she walked to the teachers' office.

On the way, she saw some students still walking around, probably those who stayed behind for schoolworks.

Rhen reminisced on the time she was a student. The one thing that stuck on her mind was the swordsinger and sorcerer rivalry.

Including herself and Lars, the two professions would always fight to be the best. In school, in work, or even outside, teachers and students alike would always have this unspoken rule: Swordsingers and sorcerers are never to get along. 

Even those with higher positions fought against each other. It was very rarely that a swordsinger and sorcerer would be friends.

'Maybe that was what sparked our rivalry?' 

Rhen thought about her and Lars. 

'Nah, probably not. We never got along even when we were still master and slave.'

She stopped walking and shuddered. Those were still bad memories to her. It traumatized her. Yet she forgave him. And now, Lars was a better man.

She smiled to herself as she started walking again. Her best friend was a great sorcerer, the best sorcerer she knew.

Rhen arrived at the teacher's office and saw about 12 teachers. Half were wearing swordsinger outfits, the other half sorcerer outfits.

There was this unseen partition in the room since one side were full of chatting swordsingers, and the other side full of discussing sorcerers.

It wasn't hard to choose which side she would approach but then, someone laughed out loud.

There, standing in the middle of the room, were two men, one wearing violet and the other blue.

Rhen was surprised to see a swordsinger and a sorcerer together. Except for her and Lars, she didn't know if there were others who were friends like them. Well, that solved the question.

She wanted to approach them, but noticed that the one wearing the violet outfit had platinum white hair. His haircolor was so uncommon, that she already knew who it was.

She decided against walking towards them, and opted to go to the swordsingers.

"Hey you!" An obnoxiously loud voice hollered.

She didn't know whether to look or not, but she did.

Zion Boreas' friend(?) was calling out. She pointed herself, wondering if she was the one he was calling.

The red-haired guy nodded and grinned.

She slowly made her way towards them. 

She felt kind of awkward. When the guy called out loudly, everyone fell silent. So now, all eyes were on her.

"What?" Rhen asked them when she was close enough for only them to hear what she was saying.

"Nothing. I just wanted to know who the girl Zion here," he said while placing his arm on Zion's shoulder, "was assigned to for the day."

"Okay. Now you know. Can I leave?" She asked, straightforward.

"No! I want to get to know you better. I'm Leon Leviathan." The man said with a toothy smile. He held out his hand to Rhen.

She looked at him blankly, then shook his hand. "I'm Rhen Darzon. Bye." She replied then turned her back on them.

"Wait!" Leon said and pulled her arm so she wouldn't be able to leave.

She really didn't want to spend some time with that Boreas unless it was absolutely necessary. She wanted to just walk away from them but that would cause meaningless rumors about her. So she 'tried' to go along with them.

"Fine." She said with a sigh. She faced them with a fake smile.

"You look like plastic." The silver-haired swordsinger stated.

"What do you mean? This is how I normally look." Rhen replied, still smiling.

"Stay that way, then." Zion said and turned to his friend. "Leon, is it even necessary to get to know this girl?" 

"Of course! She's a new co-worker, so she needs a welcoming party!" Leon mock celebrated.

Leon suddenly held onto Rhen's hands and lifted them to his lips. "Rhen, do you want to spend some time with me after school? Just the two of us?" His golden yellow eyes glinting at her.

Rhen blinked at him. Her lips slowly went down into a grimace, making Leon laugh out loud, while Zion emitted a chuckle.

All the women in the room stared at the silver-haired man in shock when they heard him laugh.

It seemed like it was very rare for him to laugh. And Rhen was the cause of it. Uh oh. She was in big trouble.

As Rhen thought of this, she noticed how all the females in the room, sorcerer or swordsinger, were glaring at her with icy cold eyes.

'There goes my chance on getting female friends.' Rhen thought sadly.

'Why did these two have to be so handsome?' She asked herself as she looked at them.

"Hey, Rhen. Can I call you Rhen? Never mind, how was your first day?" Leon asked. He seemed very talkative. And dense, for him not to notice the hard stares of the people around them.

'Might as well get along with them.' She thought.

"Good, I guess. I haven't left the job yet." Rhen said in a casual tone.

"Be thankful you're not a sorcerer. The special class is even worse than yours! They keep throwing fireballs at the teacher." Leon shuddered, as if remembering something awful.

"But still, you must have a great deal of talent for you to leave the room unscathed." He complimented.

"They're probably just shocked because it's the first day. They seem to have already placed a target on me." Rhen laughed it off.

"They'll get used to you." Leon said. "They did get used to Zion." The red-haired sorcerer laughed.

"On his first week, they kept trying to make him leave. But he evaded all of their attacks. In the end, they gave up." He continued to laugh.

"Hey Zion. Be polite and talk a bit, will ya?" Leon told Zion.

Zion replied with a "hmph," and said, "I don't want anything to do with that wild girl." He crossed his arms.

"You think I like spending time with you? Old man." Rhen said, pointing out his silver hair.

"What do you mean, 'old man?'" Zion said, turning to to glare at Rhen.

"You look so~ old with your white hair." Rhen mocked him with a cheshire-like grin.

Zion scoffed. "You think your hair doesn't look weird? You look like an abnormal eggplant."

"My hair is not weird!" Rhen fumed.

"You fret, you lose." Zion smirked.

"You-!" 

"Wait, wait, wait!" Leon interjected between them. "You're the 'wild girl' who attacked Zion near the swamp?" He asked her.

"Did you really have to introduce me as a wild girl?" Rhen asked, glaring at Zion who was still smirking.

"Why? Isn't it true?" He asked back.

Leon suddenly placed his arms on Zion and Rhen's shoulders.

She winced slightly, but they didn't seem to notice. Her shoulder still hurt.

"Stop ignoring me~!" Leon pouted.

"Yuck! Stop, you look ugly!" Rhen laughed loudly, trying to move his arm.

"Ha! You finally laughed!" Leon said in achievement.

"What do you mean?" Rhen asked in confusion.

"I've seen you walking around the school last night, this morning, and earlier at lunch. I didn't see you smile truthfully once." Leon grinned while he responded.

'Oh. Now that I think about it, I haven't been smiling at all, lately.' Rhen thought.

'Too many burdens.' She slumped down as she thought of this.

"You're sad again." Leon said, concerned.

He pulled Zion and Rhen along with him as he walked out of the teachers' office.

"W-wait! Where are we going?!" Rhen said, wincing harder now and trying to get out of the red-haired man's hold.

"We're going out to have some fun!!!" Leon said loudly in excitement.

"But it isn't 4 o'clock yet!" Rhen argued.

"Stop resisting. You won't be able to get away." Zion told Rhen.

Then she realized that Leon had already placed a spell around them so they couldn't escape.

"Cheater." Rhen whispered as she held her left shoulder while being taken away by the sorcerer.

~~~~~~~

The two men didn't *seem* to notice her shoulder.

But they both glanced at it a few times when Rhen was too occupied.

"You're a very pretty girl, Rhen. Do you have a boyfriend?" Leon grinned.

They were currently in a newly opened restaurant near the gates of the town.

Rhen choked on her drink and blushed brightly.

"A-a boyfriend? I don't have anything like that."

'I haven't even recovered from my fiancee leaving me, and now you're asking me if I have a boyfriend?' Rhen thought incredulously.

"Really? Do I have a chance then?" He places his hand above the table, right on top of hers.

Rhen panicked and stuttered something incomprehensively.

"I'm still here, you know." Zion said, sipping on his water.

"Killjoy." Leon laughed as he took back his hand.

"Stop teasing me~" Rhen pouted.

"But you're so cute." Leon pinched her cheeks.

"Ow! Stop that!" Rhen slapped his hands away.

Leon laughed again. "But really, where are you from? We know absolutely nothing about you." He said.

"In my defense, I know nothing about you guys too." She replied.

"Fine then, let's play 20 questions. You in, Zion?" Leon asked his friend.

"Do I even have a choice?" Zion sighed. 

"Yes! Let's play. Ladies first, Rhen." Leon said, acting gentlemanly.

"Hmmm..." Rhen looked up, acting as if she was thinking of a question. "Since you were asking about mine earlier, where are you guys from?" She asked.

"We're actually childhood friends. And we're both from the Northern Isles." Leon said.

"Oh really?" Rhen said absent-mindedly. It was obvious to her that he was lying. It was a skill she picked up from her journey.

'Where are these guys actually from?" She wondered.

"My turn." Leon said cheerfully. "Where are *you* from, Rhen?"

"I'm from the Western Isles." She smiled. Well, technically, she wasn't lying.

"Okay. Your turn, Zion." 

He stared at her for a few moments. "Just who are you, Rhen Darzon?" He asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Rhen replied, her face blank.

"You appeared out of nowhere, and suddenly Master Harald puts you in the highest spot for the teachers. You got out of the special class without even a scratch. Those kids are aggressive, harmfully so. Yet here you are." He elaborated.

"I was a student of the school two years ago. I graduated ahead of all my classmates. Is there a need for any other requirements?" She threw at him.

"Hmph," was his only reply.

"Uhh, your turn then, Rhen." Leon said after a few seconds of silence.

"To liven things up a bit, how did you two become friends? You're a sorcerer," Rhen pointed at Leon, "and you're a swordsinger." She pointed at Zion. "It's a very rare thing for that to happen." 

Leon looked at his friend the same time as Zion did. They both chuckled.

"It's a long story, actually." Leon scratched his cheek.

"Oh, I have lots of time. It's still very early." Rhen smiled cheekily at them. She looked outside. The sun was still visible, but it won't be long until it goes down.

Leon sighed. "Fine. Long story short, we were rivals at first. Then things happened and now, we're friends." He explained plainly.

"What? That's it? Boring explanation Leon." Rhen deadpanned.

"I just can't explain it to you yet, maybe next time." He half-smiled.

"Fine~ Your turn Leon." Rhen admitted defeat.

He lips tilted slightly up. "What have you been doing the years after you graduated?"

Rhen kept silent for a while. How could she answer this?

"Next question, please?" She said sheepishly.

"What are you hiding?" Zion interjected, still serious.

"Can we please not go too personal?" Rhen asked.

"Fine, but you have to tell us next time." Leon stopped pushing her.

"Of course." Rhen smiled brightly.


	11. Chapter 11

She had fun.

She didn't expect it, but she really had fun with those two. Yes, even with the old man.

The two walked her back to her place, well, Terlin's place.

They were surprised to see her live in a mansion, but Terlin suddenly went out and yelled, "Rheeeeen~ why did you take so looooong!" Then she hugged her.

Rhen only laughed awkwardly, and said, "sorry about that guys."

"Guys?" Terlin said questioningly.

She looked up and saw Zion and Leon. "Y-y-you're-" she pointed at them.

Rhen didn't see them, but Leon put his finger to his mouth, silently saying 'shhh.'

Terlin only nodded, and straightened herself.

"Thanks for walking me home." Rhen told the two.

"Anytime Rhen." Leon grinned.

"Let's go." Zion said and turned his back on them. He started to walk away, making Leon run to catch up to him.

"Bye Rhen! See you tomorrow!" Leon waved goodbye.

"Bye!" Rhen smiles and waved back.

Before she could look back to Terlin, the tailor had already pulled her inside the house.

"Rhen!" She squealed.

"What?" Rhen tilted her head in confusion.

"Don't you know who those two are?!" She said, more like screamed.

"Leon Leviathan and Zion Boreas?" Rhen answered, still confused.

"THEY'RE THE BEST SWORDSINGER AND SORCERER AROUND!!!" Terlin exclaimed.

"So..?" Rhen was still very confused. So what if they were the so-called best? As far as she knew, she was still the best swordsinger, and Lars was still the best sorcerer. No questions asked.

Terlin inhaled deeply, attempting to calm herself.

"Rhen. I'm not surprised you don't know but, let me explain."

"Alright..?"

"Zion Boreas and Leon Leviathan arrived at the School of War and Magick last year. Almost immediately, they were acknowledged as very *very* strong magic users."

"Ok."

"At the first tournament of power-"

"Wait, what tournament of power?" Rhen asked, confused.

"Oh right, forgot you weren't really from the Eastern Isles. It was an event started by the Empress last year. It was to be done every three years, so last year was the first. Swordsingers and sorcerers from all over the world compete in it." Terlin explained.

"But going back, they won the tournament of power."

"What?! Them? That weird idiot and that old man?!" Rhen asked, surprised.

"What do you mean 'weird idiot and old man?!' They're gorgeously handsome!" Terlin argued.

"Fine, let's say that they are, but how in Aia did they win?" Rhen changed the topic.

"They just did." Terlin shrugged.

'They're that strong?' Rhen thought. But then, she unconsciously grinned. 'Looks like I've found two strong fighters.'

She really liked competitions. Too bad she had to wait for three years before the next tournament.

"But RHEN!" Terlin screamed, making her jolt in surprise.

Why is her voice so screechy when it comes to men?

"Kidding aside, how did you get those two to take you home?" Terlin asked, curiosity present in her features.

"I didn't do anything." Rhen shrugged. "They were the ones who dragged me along with them. Especially Leon."

Terlin squealed in delight. "They might get to like you, you know." Her eyebrows going up and down.

"Ha! I doubt it. Especially if it's the old man." Rhen shook her head.

"Who knows?"

Rhen laughed at her friend's antics.

She was really grateful to have a friend like her.

~~~~~~~

The next day...

It was Thursday, meaning she didn't have classes today but was still required to come to school.

She did the same morning routine as yesterday, except for the part that she met the grumpy swordsinger.

But this time, she got to the school really early.

There was thirty more minutes before homeroom, so she had time to burn.

'I didn't get the chance to talk with the other teachers yet. Those two men kept me pretty occupied yesterday.' She thought to herself, walking in the teacher's hallway.

Standing outside the door, she tried thinking of what she would say.

'Hi! I'm Rhen Darzon, the new teacher of the elite class!'

No, too forward.

'I'm Rhen Darzon, who're you?'

No, too informal.

'I'M RHEN DARZON! HI!!!'

NO, too screamy.

Ugh, who cares. She'll just wing it.

She opened the doors and found a few teachers inside. Most were sorcerers, and two were swordsingers, so she went up to them.

"Uhm, hi." She said as the two female swordsingers turned to her.

They both looked at her from top to bottom, and replied, "Hi." Then went back to their own chattering.

'Is this the result of me talking to Zion and Leon?' She shook her head internally. 'They must be one of the women who looked at me funny yesterday.'

"I'm Rhen Darzon, what are your names?" She smiled brightly.

They glanced at her, but immediately went back to talking to themselves.

'I know I'm not pretty, but they didnt have to look at me like I have two heads.' Rhen thought.

But she couldn't believe she was outcasted so soon. She decided to just leave them alone. She didn't need any to befriend _them_ anyway.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Good morning everyone!" A little ray of red sunshine bursted in.

"Morning."

"Morning, Leon."

"Good morning."

The sorcerers replied simultaneously.

"Hey! Good morning Rhen!" He greeted as he saw her.

"Morning Leon." She smiled at him.

Suddenly, the women pulled her towards them. "What were you asking earlier? Our names? I'm Anna, nice to meet you." Said one of them.

"I'm Irma." Replied the other.

Why were they suddenly talking to her?

Then Leon tapped her shoulder and smiled at her.

Oh, that's why.

"What are you girls up to, this early in the morning?" He asked.

"We were just introducing ourselves to Rhen here. She's such a kind person!" Anna (or was it Irma?) screeched.

Why are girls so fake when it comes to facing boys? This was ridiculous. Or was _she_ ridiculous because she wasn't like them?

_Sigh_

The side effects of saving the world.

"But I was just leaving." Rhen said.

"No!" The two exclaimed.

They looked at each other before one of them said, "We mean, you just got here, we want to get to know you better." The women smiled brightly, but Rhen knew they were just using her to talk to Leon.

She rolled her eyes internally. She just wanted to have friends, why is it so hard to find true ones?

"I'm sorry. I need to prepare for class." Rhen excused herself. She walked away.

Once she got outside, somebody tapped her shoulder, the unbruised one. "Can I help you Rhen? I'll show you the basics of a lesson plan." The person offered.

She turned around to see Leon, who followed her out.

Why not? Rhen thought. But this would cause yet another surge of jealousy from the other women.

Well, who cares? She certainly didn't. Why would she decline an offer advantageous to her?

"Sure, thanks for offering Leon." She smiled at him.

"No problem. I'm bored anyways." He smiled cheekily.

"Let's go to the gardens. Its easier to plan there."

"But classes will start soon." She said as she noticed the time.

"Oh right. Maybe I'll help you later then? After classes?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure. Help me for tomorrow." Rhen laughed and waved goodbye.

"Oh before you go, in one month will be the Sorcerer vs Swordsinger event. The ranking for the top 10 students will be decided." Leon told her.

A competition?! Rhen's eyes sparkled in excitement. She wasn't going to compete, but her students would, so she needed to prepare them. They needed to win.

"What are the current rankings?" She asked. She needed to know how much she needed to train the kids.

"The top 7 is dominated by sorcerers." He said smugly.

"What? There are only 3 swordsingers in the top 10?" Rhen asked incredulously.

"Yep." Leon said, popping the _p_.

"How come Zion doesn't do anything about it?" She asked him.

"He did. We were head to head last year. Rank 1 and 2 would interchange from sorcerer to swordsinger, or swordsinger to sorcerer. But because another strong sorcerer arrived this school year, he had a tough time beating us." He said.

"Who is this _strong sorcerer_?" Rhen asked, quoting his words.

She really didn't have to ask. Who else could it be?

"Lars Tenobor. That guy seems outrageously strong. It's like his mana supply doesn't run out! I want to fight him but he never really spars with anyone." He shrugged.

Rhen was grinning widely inside. Her best friend was acknowledged by the winner of that big tournament last year. But why didn't he test his strength at him?

"Why are you smiling?" Leon asked her.

"No, nothing. Just remembered something good." She told him.

"Hmm, okay. Well, the bell's about to ring and I remembered I had something to do before class." He ran ahead of her.

"Bye Rhen! See you later, at lunch!" He hollered.

She only waved in reply.

She walked to the classroom and stayed outside while waiting for the bell to ring.

Homeroom. It was when the teacher came and talked about things right? Teaching occasionally?

 _Sigh_ She didn't remember it exactly. She always either came late for homeroom, or slept while the teacher was talking about something.

But why were there so many new events now? All they did in the past was study, study, and study some more. Nothing they did was satisfactory. Except for the trials. Now that, was exhilarating.

She remembered that final slide thrust, then how it felt to be an advanced swordsinger. Good times.

*Ring*

The bell sounded, signalling the start of class.

'I need to know their current skills and level, then the sorcerers'. So I can prepare them adequately.' She thought and entered the room.

"Good morning." She greeted.

She heard a few voices who greeted back.

Looks like some of them already respect her.

"So, as you all know, the Sorcerer vs Swordsinger event is in one month." She started.

Most of the students suddenly got serious.

"The ranking is almost completely dominated by the sorcerers. Those who are part of the top 10, please raise your hand."

Two boys and one girl raised their hand. From what she remembered from yesterday's introductions, the blonde-haired boy is Jin Duprè, the black-haired girl is Dianne Luster, and the black-haired boy is Orion Voltaire.

"What are your levels?"

Rhen really didn't have to ask. She could see the levels of those at least 30 levels below her.

"We're all level 7 in this class. We just got lucky. The others got to fight the strong sorcerers first." Orion said with his hands at the back of his head.

"Hm, I see. And do you know what level the sorcerers are?" She asked.

All of them shook their heads.

Lars was at level 99, just like her, so if the students were at the same level last year, it means Lars got their levels even higher.

'They're probably at level 9.' Rhen thought. 'That isn't far, but that might prove a challenge to the students.'

But, she was Rhen Darzon, hero of the world.

She grinned, to the students' confusion.

"Do you guys want to dominate the top 10?" She asked them.

"Of course!" They said in unison.

"But are you willing to train even on after-school hours?"

Only some of them answered yes.

"Those who do, go outside of the city later. I will personally train you."

Most of the students looked skeptical.

"Hah!" A girl scoffed.

"Why would we listen to _you_? A newbie teacher, a nobody." Yvonne exclaimed. "We don't even know how strong you really are!"

"It's your choice whether or not you let me teach you." Rhen said calmly. "But I _will_ do my best to assure you a spot in the ranking if let me train you."

Rhen was determined. This wasn't just a fight between students. No, this was also a fight to see how capable the teachers are.

Meaning, she won't allow Lars to keep being the better teacher.


End file.
